Nigeria’s House of Representatives’ committee on petroleum has slapped a $400 million fine on Chevron (CVX)Nigerian for “irregularities” in its financial reports, privately owned Channels TV reported late Tuesday.
The committee said it investigated reports of tax evasion and irregularities made against the U.S. oil company.
“Chevron was found to have inflated its community projects,” Cairo Ojualogbo, the committee chairman, told Channels TV.
He said Chevron had been accused of evading $10.8 billion in taxes owed to the Nigerian government, but said this could not be substantiated.
“When the report broke out, they quickly paid $16 million into the federal government coffers,” Ojualogbo said.
A consultant hired last year by a government agency probing oil companies’ accounts in Nigeria had said Chevron did not pay its full obligations to the government.
Calls to Chevron officials were not answered.